【Michiyuki 1-3】

【Chapter 1 'Midori' - 3】

As Yakumo was talking to the two police officers, a passenger car parked next to the patrol car. The man who got out of the car was large and fat, wearing a navy blue striped suit with no tie. His dress shirt was unbuttoned down to the second button from the top.
His appearance was such that anyone would immediately think he was a member of the yakuza, but this man's actual profession was that of a detective.

The man walked over, his beer belly wobbling in a way that looked cumbersome, and called out to the two police officers, "Good work." The two immediately straightened their posture and replied with a salute, "Thank you for your hard work."
Then, approaching Yakumo, he slapped his wet shoulder with his large hand with all his might.
"Hey, hey, what is this miserable look? A stray puppy?"
"Your voice is as loud as ever, Tazawa-san. Please consider where you are."
As Yakumo winced and shook off the rain, the detective called Tazawa laughed without restraint, "Gahaha!"
"You're always like this, sticking your neck into nothing but trouble! So, the story on the phone is true, isn't it, Sho-chan?"
"Yes, there's almost no doubt about that. I'll leave the confirmation to you, Tazawa-san."

While listening to their familiar conversation, Mayu poked Yakumo's back with her finger.
"Hey, are you... acquaintances?"
"We're bound by a twisted fate. Even though he looks like this, he's a detective at the Higashi Police Station known within the precinct as 'Buddha Tazawa'."
"Who's 'Buddha Tazawa'? Don't say such selfish things." Tazawa jokingly nudged Yakumo.
"I thought I couldn't handle it myself, so I called for reinforcements."
As Yakumo was telling this to Mayu,
"Hey, hey, we're not your errand boys," Tazawa said, pretending to be angry.
"No one thinks that," Yakumo replied, waving his right hand broadly in front of his face.

Even while joking around, Tazawa's gaze was sharp, already trying to assess the situation at the scene.
"So, is this the person?"
"Yes, this... uh..."
"It's Yoshida-san." Mayu threw Yakumo a lifeline and introduced Midori to Tazawa.
"Let's talk about the rest inside." Saying that, Mayu led everyone into the back room.

First, the two police officers and Tazawa identified themselves and showed their IDs to Midori. Then Tazawa said,
"Well then, Yoshida-san, first let's contact your grandson. Please tell me his mobile number."
However, Midori looked blank when told that.
"Uh... my grandson is at the police..." When Midori said that, Tazawa raised his voice a little.
"Anyway, please give me your grandson's contact information. His mobile number."
"Yes..." Although she answered, Midori, still not convinced, reluctantly gave Tsutomu's contact information to Tazawa.
"This is the number he uses regularly, right?" Tazawa confirmed with Midori while dialing Tsutomu's number on his own smartphone.
"Yes, it is."
After hearing Midori's answer and smiling slightly, Tazawa held the smartphone to his ear and waited for the other party to answer.

"What does this mean?" Midori, unable to accept it, asked Yakumo.
"I think you're being deceived, Yoshida-san." When Yakumo answered, Midori's expression became a little stern.
"What! Who is being deceived?"
"You are."
"That's ridiculous! Are you saying my grandson is deceiving me?" Midori's tone became even sharper.
"I didn't say that. The phone call you thought was from the police was not from the police. I am saying that everything about that call was a lie to deceive you. It will be clear soon." Yakumo answered Midori in an unchanging tone.

"Is this Yoshida Tsutomu-san? I'm sorry for calling you suddenly, I'm Tazawa from the Higashi Police Station."
The call connected to Tsutomu, and Tazawa explained the reason for the call, but then paused and handed the smartphone to Midori, saying,
"Your grandson seems to have just finished his part-time job. Please check for yourself." Midori, told this by Tazawa, put the smartphone to her ear with a look that said she didn't understand.
"Tsutomu-chan? Are you okay? Yeah... yeah... What! Is that true, that such a thing... yeah... yeah... I understand..."
Telling Midori, who was talking to her grandson about something, "That should be enough," Tazawa took the phone back and told Tsutomu to return home as soon as possible.
"Well, let's get moving too. Yoshida-san, let's go to your home together."
"I'm truly sorry for the trouble..." Midori said, bowing her head to Yakumo and Mayu.
"Well then, I'll leave the rest to you." Yakumo said to Tazawa's broad back as he left the back room.
"Yeah, I got it. I'll contact you later." Tazawa didn't even turn around, just raised his right fist and said.

Mayu and Yakumo were left in the back room.
"That turned into quite a situation, didn't it?" Mayu said to Yakumo.
"Well, if we leave it to them, it shouldn't turn into anything major. I'm glad."
"That's true, hehe," Mayu smiled slightly.
"That's right! I came to buy a bento because I was hungry."
"Pfft! Is that so?" Yakumo said as if he had remembered an important errand, and Mayu burst out laughing.
"Uh, Shimotsuki-san, was it? Is your work okay?"
"I finished a long time ago. That trash collection was the last thing."
"I see. But wasn't that trash collection still in progress?"
"It was. But those kids did it for me, so it's fine."
"I see. You caused them trouble too, didn't you?"
"I'll make it up to them later."
"Sorry for the cleanup as well. Well then, I'll be going."

Mayu said to Yakumo as he was about to leave the back room.
"Um... if it's not a bother, wouldn't you like to go get something to eat? I've gotten hungry too."
"With me?" Yakumo asked back, looking surprised.
"Yes, maybe some warm ramen," Mayu replied.
Scratching his wet head as if a little embarrassed, Yakumo replied, "I'm very happy for the invitation, but I want to go back to my apartment and change clothes." As he said, Yakumo was quite soaked from the rain.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you'll catch a cold like that. I'm sorry for saying something strange."
"No, I was happy. Let's go for a meal another day, and I will invite you." Yakumo said, looking straight at Mayu.
"Yes, I'll be waiting. Thank you for today." Mayu replied, looking down just a little and feeling her cheeks grow warm.

Yakumo, having left the back room, looked for a bento, picked up a cup of ramen, and went to the register. The register was being operated by the part-time youth who had warned Yakumo about the towel earlier.
"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. Please ring up the towel from earlier as well." As Yakumo said this while bowing his head,
"Yes, I understand," the part-time youth said, and rang up the register as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
Having finished paying as if nothing had happened, Yakumo headed for the exit.
"Thank you very much."
The youth at the register kept his head bowed until Yakumo left the store.

On the way home, Yakumo was thinking about Midori, the victim of the special fraud.
"That woman must be lonely too. If she had someone to consult with inside the house... No, she must have family. Since her grandson lives with her, his parents should be living there too. Does it mean there was no one she could honestly talk to about anything?"
Yakumo walked alone through the rainy alley.
"Even if people live with their families, they can feel lonely. Loneliness is not about not having people around. It's feeling that your existence is not recognized, as if you were the only invisible person, even when you are among many people. At such times, people feel an indescribable sense of loneliness. It is precisely because one is among people that one feels alone. Perhaps it is more appropriate to describe it as isolation rather than loneliness..."
Thinking this far, anger gradually welled up inside him.
"What on earth is family for! What is living together for!" Yakumo swallowed the anger he had nowhere to vent.

The cold spring rain continued to fall on the road Yakumo was walking on.

Chapter 1 'Midori' - End -